This invention relates to the field of lasers. Many applications require the generation of short pulses of light from a laser at a high repetition rate. One method of producing a rapid pulse of light is to Q-switch the laser. In Q-switching, the "quality" of the laser cavity is changed. One method for changing the quality of the cavity is to mechanically move one of the cavity mirrors into and out of alignment with the other mirror of the cavity. When the mirror is out of alignment, there is no resonant cavity and no lasing can occur. When the mirror is moved into alignment, the resonant cavity is formed and lasing begins. The large motions required to move the mirror into and out of alignment limit the rate at which the laser can be Q-switched.
Other Q-switching techniques allow rapid Q-switching of the laser, but require large intracavity devices which are incompatible with short cavity length lasers.
The present invention changes the Q of the resonant cavity in ways that permit rapid switching of the laser, and is particularly well suited for use with lasers having short cavity lengths.